Network Access Management

1. A satellite communications system comprising: a base station configured to communicate with standard compliant user equipment (UE) via a satellite having a field of view, the base station comprising a processing device having one or more processors configured to: detect an access request from an active UE within a plurality of cells via a wide beam signal covering a plurality of cells in the field of view; determine which one of one or more nominal beam signals corresponds with the active UE, the one or more nominal beam signals in operation concurrently with the wide beam signal; and via the determined one of the one or more nominal beam signals, cause a connection to be established with the active UE in order to conduct communications with the active UE.

2. The satellite communication system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to turn off selected nominal beam signals that are not associated with the active UE.

3. The satellite communication system of claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to maintain a list of active UE connections and to add the connection upon establishment in the list of active UE connections.

4. The satellite communication system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: detect access requests from one or more additional UEs within the plurality of cells; determine which of the one or more nominal beam signals correspond with the one or more additional UEs; and cause corresponding connections to be established with the one or more additional UEs via the satellite.

5. The satellite communication system of claim 1, wherein: the plurality of cells includes an active cell having one or more connected UEs and an inactive cell having no connected UEs; and the one or more processors are configured to cause the satellite to generate one or more active nominal beam signals to cover each active cell.

6. The satellite communication system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to turn off any nominal beams at the inactive cell.

7. The satellite communication system of claim 1, wherein the wide beam signal has a different frequency than the one or more nominal beam signals.

8. A method for satellite communication, comprising: generating, at a base station processing device, a first broadcast signal via a wide beam signal covering a plurality of cells in a field of view for a satellite; detecting, at the base station processing device, an access request from a user equipment (UE) within the plurality of cells over the wide beam signal; and generating, at the base station processing device, in response to detecting the access request from the user equipment within the wide beam signal, a second network broadcasting signal via one or more nominal beam signals each covering selected ones of the plurality of cells, the one or more nominal beam signals operating concurrently with the wide beam signal.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining which one of the one or more nominal beam signals corresponds with the UE; and causing a connection to be established with the UE in order to conduct communication with the UE via the satellite.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the connection is established over a new nominal beam signal.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the base station processing device maintains a list of active UE connections, the method further comprising adding the established connection to the list of active UE connections.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising causing one or more selected nominal beams that are not associated with any active UE to be turned off.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising: detecting, at the base station processing device, access requests from one or more additional UEs within the plurality of cells; determining, at the base station processing device, which of the one or more nominal beam signals correspond with the one or more additional UEs; and causing corresponding connections to be established with the one or more additional UEs via the satellite.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein: the plurality of cells includes an active cell having one or more connected UEs and an inactive cell having no connected UEs; and the method further comprises generating an active nominal beam signal covering each active cell.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising turning off any nominal beams at the inactive cell.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the wide beam signal has a different frequency than the one or more nominal beam signals.

17. A satellite communication system comprising one or more satellites in operative communication with a base station, the one or more satellites being configured to: transmit a wide beam covering a plurality of cells within a field of view of the one or more satellites; receive a signal from an active user equipment (UE) within the plurality of cells; and upon detection of an access request from the active UE and determination of which one of one or more nominal beam signals corresponds with the active UE, establish a connection with the active UE via the determined one of the one or more nominal beam signals in order to conduct communications with the active UE, the one or more nominal beam signals in operation concurrently with the wide beam.

18. The satellite communication system of claim 17, wherein: the plurality of cells includes an active cell having one or more connected UEs and an inactive cell having no connected UEs; and the one or more satellites are configured to transmit one or more active nominal beam signals to cover each active cell.

19. The satellite communication system of claim 18, wherein the one or more satellites are further configured to cease transmission of any nominal beams covering the inactive cell.

20. The satellite communication system of claim 18, wherein the wide beam signal has a different frequency than the one or more nominal beam signals.